Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Saint Alphonsus Baker City

August 31, 2022

By: Alicia Wolfe, Mission Leader/Chaplain Baker City, OR

Saint Alphonsus Baker City is proud to remember the accomplishments of our colleagues and their commitment to our ongoing mission over the past 125 years. This year marks the 125th Anniversary of Saint Alphonsus Baker City. Community members of Baker City and surrounding communities are invited to join us in celebrating this historic milestone on Saturday, October 8, 2022.

Time: 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Where: Quail Ridge Golf Course

2801 Indiana Ave. Baker City, OR 97814

Festivities include live music by Frank Carlson, heritage memory display in the clubhouse, light refreshments, outdoor games, and more!

A few things have changed in Baker City over the last 125 years. Below are some of the highlights of how health care has evolved.

On August 24, 1885, 5 Sisters from the religious order of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia traveled by train from Pennsylvania to open the First Foundation in the West.
Upon arriving in Baker City, they dedicated the Academy of St. Francis and opened the school with 60 children.
At the request of Archbishop William L. Gross, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia opened St. Elizabeth on August 25, 1897. The hospital opened with 8 patients. Sisters Philomena, Neri, and Anacleta staffed the hospital – then located on the corner of 2nd and Church Streets. The first year, they saw 115 patients, many of them gold miners. For just $1 a month, patients received complete health coverage.
In September of 1911 the Training School for Nurses was opened by the Sisters. 162 nurses graduated from St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing between 1911 and 1949 when the school was consolidated with the St. Anthony School of Nursing in Pendleton.
In 1912, construction began on a new facility on 4th Street. Construction was completed on a 50 bed hospital in 1915. In 1921 another wing was added making a total of 72 patient beds.
Construction began on a new hospital on Pocahontas Rd in April 1969. A 50 bed L-shaped facility was completed in October 1970 thanks to the generous contributions of the community, Hill Burton grants, and the Sisters of St. Francis.
In 1987, the St. Elizabeth nursing home that was housed at the previous hospital on 4th St. was transferred to the new hospital on Pocahontas Rd. The entire facility was then renamed St. Elizabeth Hospital and Health Care Center.
The Medical Office Building was added in 1994.
In May 1996, The Franciscan Health System joined two other systems to create Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI). You may hear references to CHI. The hospital's name was then changed to St. Elizabeth Health Services.
Due to the turbulent healthcare environment, CHI – and therefore Saint Elizabeth – joined with Trinity to become a new system within Trinity Health – The Saint Alphonsus Health System. Our name was then changed to Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Baker City.
In May 2013, Trinity Health merged with Catholic Health East and we were referred to as CHE Trinity. After an extensive review period (18 months), the new name of our combined system became Trinity Health. This merger strengthened the shared mission and increased excellence in care and advanced transformative efforts with a unified voice.
Over the past few years continual remodels and improvements have been made to the Emergency Department, Rehabilitation services, and SAMG clinic to consistently bring the highest quality of care to Eastern Oregon.

Saint Alphonsus continues to invest in our community through various partnerships including BELC collaboration (Daycare and embedded Community health worker in schools), office space provided at no cost to Baker County DA for abuse assessments, and a Sports medicine athletic trainer provided by STARS. We are proud to invest over 2.8 million dollars annually back into our communities through patient financial assistance, unreimbursed costs of care, and community health improvement programs and education.

We are thankful for the ongoing support of our community members over the past 125 years. Please join us for this fun community event as we take a walk down memory lane and celebrate together. Email Alicia Wolfe to RSVP by October 1st.